Just Breathe
by DemonClowSorceress
Summary: It was inevitable that she'd see it. He just never wanted her to see him like this. Complete
1. Break

**Just Breathe**

**By: DemonClowSorceress**

**My first _Perception _fic. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Perception_.**

* * *

Daniel curled up in the corner, his back to the wall, and focused on his breathing.

In. Out. In. Out.

There were too many people.

Too many unknown faces.

And he couldn't calm down enough to figure out who was real.

In. Out. In. Out.

Instead of trying to figure out what wasn't there, he concentrated on remembering what _had _happened. What brought him to this place?

In. Out. In. Out.

Right, it was coming back now. Kate had come to him with a new case. The body of a teenager had been found in an abandoned psychiatric hospital, surrounded by four walls of the victim's handwriting, in some sort of code.

In. Out. In. Out.

Turned out that the boy had suffered from schizophrenia as well. This intrigued Daniel, giving him a new insight on how to decode the victim's writings. He was sure that within the ramblings existed a clue about his killer. That's what he would have done.

In. Out. In. Out.

Kate got a call about a new lead, so Daniel decided to stay behind and decipher the code on his own. A mistake, it turned out. It was when he cracked the first few lines that the people started to show up.

In. Out. In. Out.

Black suits. Black shades. That special look of "secret government stooge" that made Daniel's paranoia rack up a few notches. It didn't help when Natalie showed up and kept saying that some were real, but she wouldn't tell him which.

In. Out. In. Ou -

"Dr. Pierce?"

Daniel flinched back at the unfamiliar male voice. His eyes squeezed shut as his thoughts went haywire. The shred of calm he'd grabbed ahold of disappeared. "Go away!"

"Dr. Pierce, you have to come with us now."

"No! Get away from me!" He flailed his arms to beat back the hallucinations. "No! You're not real!"

"Dr. Pierce, please stop resisting!" Now a female voice, commanding and firm. Not Kate's. Not Kate's.

_Kate. I need Kate. I need her! _The thought raced through his mind like an Olympic runner. "Kate! Kate!" Daniel screamed desperately. "Kate!"

But she wasn't there. Kate was gone, following a lead. She wouldn't be back for hours -

"Daniel? Daniel!" Someone grabbed his hands, forcing fingers to interlace with his. Daniel's eyes flew open and saw Kate kneeling in front of him, her face inches from his own. "Daniel, it's me! It's Kate! What's wrong?"

Usually he was able to think of a way to talk off his oddities, but Daniel was too terrified to lie at the moment. "Get rid of them!" he screamed, looking around at the room of mysterious people staring at them. "Get me out of here!"

Kate didn't question him. She didn't even try to calm him. Setting her face determinedly, she pulled him to his feet and forced his head down against her shoulder, as if shielding him from an attack. "Keep your eyes closed, Daniel," she said. "I'll take you home now. Just keep breathing."

Too panicked to argue, Daniel did just that. He could hear her calling Lewicki, but that faded into the background as he concentrated.

In. Out. In. Out.

Just breathe. Just breathe.

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	2. Kate

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Perception._**

* * *

Max Lewicki is standing ready when we arrive back at Daniel's. We manage to get Daniel calmed down and up to bed without triggering another episode. Once he's fast asleep, I'm unwilling to leave him, so I ask Max if I can stay for the night on the couch.

We meet in the kitchen early the next morning, and I watch Max brew coffee for our conversation and start cutting up fruit for Daniel's breakfast. I sip coffee and wait for his questions.

He opens with, "So now you've seen it."

I nod as I remember Daniel's terror. "It must've been a bad one, Max. I've never seen him this freaked out before."

"He's always been afraid of showing you what he's like when he sees...them."

I shrink back a little, defensive. "I've known about his condition for years."

"But seeing it in action is different than hearing about it, right?"

About to refute, I swallow my words. So I say, "...I've seen it before."

Max frowns. "When?"

"A couple cases ago. Sometimes when he's off by himself, I notice him trying to speak to the air without drawing attention to himself." I remember the few times I actually saw him speaking to himself. "Like he's speaking to a person standing right beside him, you know?"

The younger man nods. "Yeah. I've seen him do it here too."

I manage to maintain eye contact with Max. I have to keep reminding myself that none of this was new to him; after all, Daniel had hired him to keep track of his reality. "Everytime he said he had a "gut feeling" about something, I figured it meant that a hallucination had helped him work something out."

"And you never told him?" Max asks.

"Why would I? It makes him uncomfortable, and nobody else would understand his process." I frown when I recall Reardon's tactless mention of Daniel's medical history. "Reardon found out by doing a background check, and that's how I learned about his time in the hospital last year. Where you two met."

Lewicki has a weak half-smile. "I thought it was a good idea."

"But he's never freaked out like that before," I say, glancing up the stairs. "It was like he was terrified of what he saw. Or who he saw."

"He's been under an incredible amount of stress for the last two weeks. Maybe it culminated while he was alone," Max says.

"If I'd known that, I never would've - " I stop myself from making a statement I couldn't have known I'd keep. I know myself - and Daniel - too well. "I would've made sure he wasn't alone," I finish lamely.

Max chuckles, artfully arranging slices of fruit on a place. "He's a stubborn ass. He wouldn't have wanted an FBI babysitter." He glances up the stairs. "Can you stay with him? I'm late for class - "

_Of course I'll stay. I wouldn't leave him after that. _"Go, Max," I say. "I'll stick around to take care of Daniel."

He heads out with a grateful nod, leaving me to wander Daniel's house. I've never actually seen most of it outside the study, so I start curiously prowling around. Everything's messy, but in an orderly way - Max's influence, no doubt.

As I wonder, I think about last night. My lead had come up completely dead - a blessing in disguise, apparently. I'd been on my way back to the bureau to report to Reardon when I realized that I had Daniel's briefcase with me. I figured he'd need something from inside, so I turned around and headed back to the crime scene.

Good thing I did. I no sooner open the door than I hear Daniel screaming my name like someone's after him with a knife. I ran inside and saw him trying to smush his back into a corner, his arms wildly trying to beat back whatever hallucinations were accosting him. I didn't think he'd respond to me, but when he did, I got him out of there as fast as I could.

I shiver and shake my head to clear it. My eyes land on the baby grand piano, and it makes me smile. For some reason, it makes sense that Daniel has it. I'm sure he plays beautifully. I draw my hand across the well-worn keys and try to imagine him playing something -

"LEWICKI!"

Daniel. He's scared.

_Breathe. Just get up there to him._

"LEWICKI!"

_Don't panic. _I take the steps two at a time, almost slipping on the smooth hardwood floor as I run. _Keep breathing. Don't trip. Breathe._

"LEWICKI!"

I screech to a halt before I reach his bedroom door. _Breathe, _I order myself. _Don't show panic. _Composing myself, I step into his line of sight and lean against the doorframe, trying to speak between gasps. "Max just went to class. I'm here, it's okay."

He's staring at me like he can't believe his eyes. His hair is stuck up every which way and he's tangled in his sheets like a mummy. It looks like he's had a terrifying nightmare. From the lingering fear in his eyes, it seems as if he can't believe I'm real.

I stop myself before I feel pity. He's said it before - he doesn't like talking about his diagnosis because people define him by it. I refuse to be that person.

"Daniel?" I say softly. I don't want to move closer because I don't want to freak him out again. Stupid as it sounds coming out of my mouth, I really have no other way to say it. "Daniel, it's okay. I'm - I'm real."

He just blinks again and whispers, "Kate?"

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**My thanks to _TheInvisibleQuestion_ who gave the review that unblocked my writer's block for this part.**

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	3. Daniel

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Perception._**

* * *

"Kate?"

The rampant paranoia is tamped down now that I'm back in familiar surroundings. There are no hallucinations either. I guess Lewicki dosed me on some of the sleeping pills I keep for this specific purpose. A solid block of sleep works wonders for my mind.

However, my rebellious brain decided to hijack my REM cycle and conjure a horrible nightmare. In it, I'm in the psychiatric hospital under restraints and raving mad. So when I wake up, in a knee-jerk reaction, I yell for Lewicki.

Which is why I think I hallucinated Kate running up to my room instead of Lewicki.

I _feel _all right, at least.

Sitting in a nearby chair, Natalie sighs. "You've really got to wake up, Daniel. Of course she's real."

My eyes blink several times when I realize that Kate is actually standing in my house. In my bedroom doorway, to be precise. Stupified, I thoughtlessly ask, "What're you doing here?"

"I was downstairs and heard you scream." Okay, obvious answer to obvious question. Her eyes quickly look over me. "You okay now?"

I don't like seeing her so worried. "I - had a nightmare," I reply. "It's okay. It happens sometimes."

"Ask her to sit, you idiot," Natalie scolds me.

I hasten to voice Natalie's request. Kate straightens up, still breathing heavy as she walks inside and collapses in the chair Natalie just disappeared from. "You sure you're okay?" she asks me.

"Perfectly." And I am. I'm well-rested and raring to go. I wish she'd stop babying me. I remember what she said standing in my doorway. _I'm real_. Like she wasn't sure if I was sure of that. "Why did you say "I'm real" just now?"

"I - "

Now she's embarrassed. I've called her out on her slip. Her hesitance only makes me irritated. I look away and snap, "So, what? Was all that talk about not defining me by my diagnosis just hypocrisy? Were you humoring me?"

Her face goes slack, a mask of neutrality that I've never seen her show me. Then she says, "Max put your breakfast together before he left. You want it?"

"Sure. I'll get up and see you down there." Kate stands up and leaves without another word. I get out of bed and start my morning routine.

"Daniel, that was low." Natalie's back. I glare at her. "Don't be petulant. She's doing her damndest not to dwell on the fact that you lost it at the warehouse. She doesn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"So?" I snap. "After all she said, she still - "

"What else could she say? You weren't even sure about her at first." Natalie gets right in my face. "You ever think about how Kate feels? She knows you hate being labeled, but she can't ask if you're all right without making it sound like you're crazy." She crosses her arms at me. "You're going to have to fix this, Daniel."

I heave a sigh. She's right, as usual. I was only angry because now Kate had seen me completely lost in a hallucination. It felt like she was treating me with kid gloves. I hate that feeling. It's demeaning. Even Lewicki doesn't do that. He just gives me a verbal kick in the pants.

But I know Kate better. She looks out for me. She cares about me.

I care about her too. So I ruffle my hair into some semblance of order, tie my shoes, and head downstairs to apologize.

* * *

She's sitting at the place across from mine at the table, sipping coffee and reading the paper. There's a mug of hot tea steaming in front of my fruit plate.

She knows me so well.

I sit down and say, "Sorry about that. I sometimes forget that not everyone is a judgmental small-minded hypocrite."

She doesn't look up from the paper. "I understand."

"Kate." I wait until she looks at me. "I'm sorry. Really. I just...I never wanted you to see me like that." To steer away from the awkward topic I ask, "How did your lead pan out?"

She follows my lead and shrugs. "Dead end."

I start in on my fruit. "You came back to the warehouse instead of reporting to Reardon."

"I still had your briefcase in the car. I thought you might've needed something in it."

My briefcase. That's right! My cassette player had been in it. I'd worked without music. That's probably why I lost focus and the hallucinations appeared so quickly.

"Good thing I came back when I did." Now she puts the paper down entirely. It's obvious she's choosing her words carefully. "Daniel, I'm sorry. I should've left someone with - "

"Another agent?" I scoff. "Please. You think I would've stood for a minion of The Man looking over my shoulder?"

A tiny smile tilts one corner of her mouth upwards. I've said something funny. "I'm a minion of The Man," she gently reminds me.

"But you're Kate." There's really no other way to say it. She's Kate. I wouldn't hesitate to call her my Kate.

_Whoa, crossing a line there, Pierce. Back up_. Instead I say, "I know you. I wouldn't know the random government stooge you assign to babysit me."

"It's hard to trust someone you don't know," Natalie says, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

_Someone you can't be sure is real _goes unsaid. But I trust Natalie, and I know she's not real.

"That's nitpicking, Daniel. And you know it."

I ignore her for now and focus on Kate. "I know you," I repeat to Kate. I meet her eyes and add, "I trust you."

She looks relieved to hear that. We share a smile, and now I know we're okay again.

Kate looks away first, almost shyly. "Well, I better get going. Gotta get home and change clothes."

I glance at the clock and blink. "Wait, shouldn't you be at work already?"

"Yeah."

Which probably means... "How much trouble do you think you're in with Reardon?"

"Who cares?" she says carelessly. "As far as I'm concerned, your safety trumps procedure. I'll be sure to explain that to her."

"Sorry I got you in trouble," I say, then add, "Again."

She drains her coffee and smiles. "I don't care about that, Daniel. You know that." Her hand starts to move towards mine, then stops halfway.

Something gives me the courage to close the distance. Kate is visibly shocked when my fingers cover hers. "Thank you," I tell her again.

_For not asking what I saw._

_For bringing me back._

_For being here for me._

_For just...being you._

Everything I couldn't say. So I just say, "For everything."

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**Ta-da! Very good ending, if I do say so myself!**

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